Integrated benefits of power generation by straw biomass--A case study on the Sheyang Straw Power Plants in Jiangsu Province,China

Power generation using straw biomass has quantifiable benefits from an economic,ecological,and sociological perspective in China.The methods used to construct the assessment models of these integrated benefits were the revenue capitalization approach and the discounted-cash-flow approach.The results indicated that a straw power plant with the capacity of 2.50×10^(7)W and burning 1.23×10^(5)tons of cotton straw could annually supply 1.40×10^(8)kWh of power.However,it would not be until six years later that these results could be measured.Over the long term,the gross benefits could reach up to 4.63×10^(8)Yuan.Therefore,the total benefits are expected to be 1.18×10^(12)Yuan if all available straw resources are used to generate power.The policy implication showed that the long-term integrated benefits of power generation by straw biomass outweighed the short-term benefits.This is the main incentive to use straw biomass for power generation in the future.